Made In Britain

[Lang Spoon]

Irn Bru is still all about the glass in Scotland, but I wouldn’t expect to see them elsewhere. You might as well say tizer is similar to Irn Bru as Red lemonade.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Can you get Red Kola anywhere south of the Scots/English border?

Carlisle, obv.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Irn Bru is still all about the glass in Scotland, but I wouldn’t expect to see them elsewhere. You might as well say tizer is similar to Irn Bru as Red lemonade.

The strange and trademark-able spelling of Irn Bru of course being a function of Iron Brew being used as a generic term by local bottlers - we used to get glass bottled drinks delivered weekly by the pop lorry (local variations on this term are inevitable) and Iron Brew was always a favourite (along with Cream Soda, Dandelion & Burdock and the aforementioned Red Kola - days when they turned up and were down to the dull Cola and Lemonade were dark times).

Anyway, didn't mean to turn this into a Peter Kay-esque who remembers Spangles routine - the point I was about to make was they closed off the bottle deposit/return route at the start of last year (I occasionally frequent an old fashioned sweet shop and the owner was telling me all about it one day, I think he gets lonely in there). Whether this means they've stopped selling it in glass, or they just don't bother with the returnable element, I don't know (and should look it up). Edit - of course they still sell it in glass, they just discontinued the returns scheme.

[Fussbudget]

We get the full complement of Barr stuff as far south as here (bubblegum, cherryade and all) but only in plaggy bottles and cans.

[Guy Profumo]

The strange and trademark-able spelling of Irn Bru of course being a function of Iron Brew being used as a generic term by local bottlers - we used to get glass bottled drinks delivered weekly by the pop lorry (local variations on this term are inevitable) and Iron Brew was always a favourite (along with Cream Soda, Dandelion & Burdock and the aforementioned Red Kola - days when they turned up and were down to the dull Cola and Lemonade were dark times).

Anyway, didn't mean to turn this into a Peter Kay-esque who remembers Spangles routine - the point I was about to make was they closed off the bottle deposit/return route at the start of last year (I occasionally frequent an old fashioned sweet shop and the owner was telling me all about it one day, I think he gets lonely in there). Whether this means they've stopped selling it in glass, or they just don't bother with the returnable element, I don't know (and should look it up). Edit - of course they still sell it in glass, they just discontinued the returns scheme.

Chris Tarrant

[Gerontophile]

Walt: that post pricked up my ears.

We had the Corona lorry, and indeed, they had the (in the words of gay Eminem) "generic version". And 2p back on the bottle. And it was absolutely shite.

*However, their cream soda was orgasmic in an ice drink (AKA soda fountain type thing to ... heathens). Scoop of ice cream, and the 'soda' of your choice/availability/Irn Bru. Or in my case on one wonderful day as an 8 year old, Lanliq. I fucking shit you not.

(Translations are available)

[Various Artist]

Please, yes translations would be great Gero. I broadly understood about 45% of that, I think.

The strange and trademark-able spelling of Irn Bru of course being a function of Iron Brew being used as a generic term by local bottlers.

Not living in Scotland, my only exposure to the concept of Irn Bru as a kid was through adverts (as I recall) in the pages of the Beano. Not having any indication to the contrary, I read it as being pronounced "urn" – a state of affairs that persisted well into adulthood.

[Guy Profumo]

We had the "Villa" lorry.

(Cue endless Darlo/Poolie/Boro jokes about two new arrivals from Villa - Dandelion and Burdock)

[Bored Of Education]

Eat cheddar to help us survive Brexocalypse

[Felicity, I guess so]

My Govanhill papa (grandad) used to drink Lanliq, or sometimes Eldorado. (Both are fortified wines, now superseded by Buckfast)

(This thread really isn't doing what GO intended, sorry!)

[MsD]

Bondage trousers.

[Kevin S]

Seems a good place to post Jim'll Paint It's recent work on the Coca Cola lorry being defended by Mad Max from attacks by rival soft drinks companies.

[Various Artist]

Holy shit, that is awesome. He's a talented bloody lad, that boy, isn't he? Thanks for reminding me I haven't caught up with JPI in a few months, Kev.

[SouthdownRebel]

Eat cheddar to help us survive Brexocalypse

https://youtu.be/r0M1YEf9s0g

[Benjm]

Jim'll Paint It is great. I won a print of his David Bowie tribute in a raffle a couple of weeks ago, having previously bought one of the Bullseye speedboat as a gift for someone.

[Kevin S]

Holy shit, that is awesome. He's a talented bloody lad, that boy, isn't he? Thanks for reminding me I haven't caught up with JPI in a few months, Kev.

So you've not seen Dad's Army Of Darkness?

[Lang Spoon]

This I've not checked personally but apparently there's a shop in Temple Bar just left of the old Central Bank building (walk past The Foggy Dew pub down towards the river and it'll be on your left at the corner) that sells hard-to-find confections and soft drinks.

Cheers Reg. But their fairly poky wee cans selection is dominated by US stuff (much of which is also available in Fallon and Expensive).

The assistant was a fellow Bru head, and also lamented the seeming total lack of cans in Dublin. I may have detected a soft Nordie accent off him, maybe it’s worth an Irn Bru hunting trip to Ireland’s best, most impressively urban (if with scarily wide cavalry charge accommodating streets) city centre. Be nice going to Belfast without needing a passport post haste for the holliers. And the worst ever immediate suburbs possible. A shit strewn falling apart mess so impressive it almost outdoes Glasgow North/North East of the M8 scar for sheer hopeless gapsite and empty building dereliction.

Fuck going to that Titanic shite but. The fucker sunk so fast and with such fatalities cos of the local Boss Class being cheap ignorant counts.

[Various Artist]

So you've not seen Dad's Army Of Darkness?

Good heavens above. I gave myself a few seconds before opening that link, just to savour the mental image before I saw the real thing. It didn't disappoint.